I. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to parking meters. More particularly, the present invention relates to individual parking meters that control multiple parking spaces or bays.
II. Description of the Prior Art
A variety of electronic and mechanical parking meters are well-known in the prior art. Typical parking meters receive one or more coins to begin a timing interval during which a vehicle may remain parked in an appropriate space associated with and adjacent to the parking meter.
The timing interval, or the amount of time vended by the meter to the user, is typically determined by the number and value of the coins which are inserted into the parking meter.
Recently, electronic parking meters have evolved for digitally, electronically vending time. Although such electronic parking meters often have mechanical parts, the primary thrust of modern parking meter technology is directed to solid state circuitry and apparatus for parking meters which minimizes downtime, reduces mechanical unreliability, and provides an electronic means of accounting.
An advantage of modern electronic computerized parking meters is that they may be triggered externally without the use of coins. Accordingly, payment slots may be included for the use of debit cards which are incremented by the circuitry. Prepaid parking "time" represented by magnetic information on the cards may be used to vend time.
As an example, attention is directed to U.S. Pat. No. 4,880,097, owned by the same assignee as in this case. When such a "debit" card (i.e. normally the size of a plastic credit card) is used to purchase time, it need be simply inserted into the parking slot or the coin slot. Alternatively, the parking card and coins may be inserted into separate slots. A purchaser may vary the amount of time purchased on the meter, either by using his debit card or by inserting required coins.
A further advantage of the electronic meters is that fewer coins need be collected and handled, since much of the meter time is purchased by the park card. The meter then electronically stores in its memory the meter activity thereby reducing the number of coins in the meter.
Advanced electronic meters of the type described in the '097 patent further simplify accounting procedures. An auditor is typically used to program the parking meter and/or to extract data from the parking meter, such as the activity of the meter, etc. Also, the auditor can be used to program and gather data from the parking meter by connecting the auditor directly.
Older mechanical parking meters require the meter reader to manually empty the coins from each meter and tally them to determine meter activity. With electronic parking meters, this may be substantially avoided. For example, accumulated parking time and accumulated sales may be stored within electronic memory. Moreover, "busy" times of the day may be computed. Electronic programming responsible for such meters allows the user to easily vary parking rates or change them when desired.
Outdoor vending devices such as meters must be capable of withstanding the elements. To lessen the likelihood of failures, the meters must be relatively well-protected from weather conditions.
However, known prior electronic and mechanical parking meters fail to maximize the potential storage capacity and vending capabilities of electronic meters while remaining user friendly. A desirous parking meter would be able to store multiple parking space activity while concurrently vending the multiple parking spaces.
Preferably, the meter would remain relatively simple to operate and would not require an operator to learn or acquire any new skills or programming expertise. Such a new parking meter would greatly increase the efficiency of the individual parking meter while reducing maintenance requirements, costs, accounting and verification procedures.
Ideally, this meter could record and store the activities for up to four parking spaces, thus requiring data to be retrieved from only one meter instead of several individual meters. Also, coins would only need to be collected from one meter.
Of course, a single multiple bay parking meter would consume less power than several single bay parking meters. Another requirement of any multiple bay parking meter would be that any operator would be able to accurately select the particular parking bay to be paid for. Such a multiple bay meter would preferably use a digital screen that would permit the operator to quickly identify the desired bay. Of course, the meter should require no special skills on the part of the operator to manipulate the meter.